Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
ASSAULT
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English assaut, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *assaltus, from assalire
Date: 14th century
1. a violent physical or verb al attack, a military attack usually involving direct combat with enemy forces, a concerted effort (as to reach a goal or defeat an adversary),
2. a threat or attempt to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person (as by lifting a fist in a threatening manner) that puts the person in immediate danger of or in apprehension of such harm or contact, rape 2,
II. verb
Date: 15th century
transitive verb to make an assault on, rape 2, intransitive verb to make an assault, see: attack assaulter noun